LAFAYETTE, INDIANA

'Lafayette' (IPA: ) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA, 63 miles (101 km) northwest of Indianapolis. Population in 1900, 18,116; in 1910, 20,081; in 1920, 22,486; and in 1940, 28,798 people. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,397. The city is the county seat of Tippecanoe County. West Lafayette, just across the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on both communities. Together, Lafayette and West Lafayette form the core of the Lafayette, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which, as of the 2000 census, had a total population of 183,340; Lafayette is thus the 215th largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Education

Colleges

Public

Private

Notes

News and Media

Transportation

Economy

Notable residents and natives

Entertainment

Sports

Business, law, politics

Academic, science, technology

Local civic organizations

Points of interest

Community Events

See also

References

External links

Geography

Lafayette is located at (40.410585, -86.874681) and lies in Fairfield Township and Wea Township, and partly in Sheffield and Perry Townships. Elevation at the court house is 550 feet, but elevations in the city range from a little over 500 feet at the Wabash River to approximately 700 feet in the areas of Murdock Park and Columbian Park.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.0 km² (20.1 mi²), all land.

History

The area around what is now Tippecanoe County was inhabited by a tribe of Miami Indians known as the Ouiatenon or Weas. The French government established Fort Ouiatenon in 1717 across the Wabash River and three miles south of the location of present-day Lafayette. The fort became the center of trade for fur trappers, merchants and Indians. An annual reenactment and festival known as The Feast of the Hunters' Moon takes place there each fall.
Lafayette was platted by the river trader William Digby, in May 1825. The town was made county seat for the newly formed Tippecanoe County soon after in 1826. Like many small frontier towns, Lafayette was officially named for the French general, Marquis de Lafayette (September 6, 1757—May 20, 1834) who aided the American armies during the Revolutionary War.
In its earliest days Lafayette was a shipping center on the Wabash River. The Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1840s further cemented Lafayette's regional prominence, which was also escalated by the arrival of the railroads in the 1850s. The Monon Railroad connected Lafayette with other sections of Indiana.

Lafayette was the site of the first official air mail delivery in the United States, which took place on August 17, 1859, when John Wise piloted a balloon starting on the Lafayette courthouse grounds. Wise hoped to reach New York; however, weather conditions forced the balloon down near Crawfordsville, Indiana, and the mail reached its final destination by train. In 1959, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 7¢ airmail stamp commemorating the centennial of the event.^[1]
Modern history owes a fair debt to Robert Kriebel, a reporter since retired from the Lafayette Journal and Courier newspaper. By way of his books and columns the curious are provided a convenient, accessible, and even colorful way to grasp the events around and preceding him. ''Old Lafayette'' in two volumes is highly recommended. For further reading, the curious might look into some other notable historians of Lafayette appearing below. These were compiled by Kriebel for his "short list" as provided in the Lafayette Bank & Trust's ''The Best of Lafayette'' (2000):
Sandford C. Cox, Richard P. DeHart, Sallie Sample, Sarah M. Crockett, Thomas B. Helm, Jesse Henderson Levering, Paul K. Mavity, Logan Esarey, and Herbery H. Heimlich.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 56,397 people, 24,060 households, and 13,666 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,083.9/km² (2,806.5/mi²). There were 25,602 housing units at an average density of 492.0/km² (1,274.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.91% White, 3.22% African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.61% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.11% of the population.
There were 24,060 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 14.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,859, and the median income for a family was $45,480. Males had a median income of $32,892 versus $23,049 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,217. About 8.0% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
Like most of Indiana, Lafayette has been dominated by the agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation industries.

Education

Colleges

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

Indiana Business College

Public

K-12 public education in the Lafayette area is provided by the Lafayette School Corporation.

Private

Faith Christian School [1]

Lafayette Christian School [2]

Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School [3]

St. Boniface Middle School [4]

St. Lawrence Catholic School [5]

St. Mary Cathedral Elementary School [6]

St. James Lutheran School

Notes

★ Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana.

★ Public schools outside of Lafayette are administered by the West Lafayette Community School Corporation or the Tippecanoe School Corporation (suburban).

News and Media

Newspaper

★ Journal & Courier

★ Purdue Exponent
Television

★ WLFI-TV

★ W51DU
Commercial Radio Stations

★ WASK-AM

★ WASK-FM

★ WAZY-FM

★ WGLM-FM

★ WKHY-FM

★ WKOA-FM

★ WLFF-FM

★ WSHP-FM

★ WSHY-AM

★ WXXB-FM
Non-commercial Radio Stations

★ WBAA-AM/FM

★ WHPL-FM

★ WJEF-FM

★ WQSG-FM

★ WTGO-LP FM

★ WWCC-LP FM

Transportation

'Airports'

★ Purdue University Airport, West Lafayette. No commercial flights.
'Highways'

★ Interstate Highway 65 to Gary, Indiana (near Chicago) and Indianapolis

★ U.S. Highway 52 to Joliet, Illinois (also near Chicago) and Indianapolis

★ U.S. Highway 231

★ Indiana state highways 25, 26, 38, 43
'Railroads'

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides passenger rail service to Lafayette through the Cardinal to Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. Norfolk Southern, CSX, Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad, and Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway (RailAmerica) provide freight rail service. Many of the rails lines that originally passed through the downtown were redirected in the mid-1990s to a rail corridor near the Wabash River.^[2][3]
'Bus Service'

★ CityBus local bus service by the Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation

★ Greyhound intercity bus service

Economy

Much of the economy of the city of Lafayette and the surrounding area is centered around the academic and industrial activities of Purdue University. The university and its associated businesses employ the largest portion of the Lafayette workforce. However, private industry and commerce independent of the university also thrive in the community. Some notable examples include:

★ Alcoa, a producer of aluminum extrusions and tubes.

★ Caterpillar Large Engine Division, producer of large diesel and natural gas engines.

★ Fairfield Manufacturing, producer of gears.

★ Wabash National, world's largest manufacturer of semi-truck trailers

★ Subaru of Indiana Automotive, producer of Subaru and now, Toyota vehicles.

★ Eli Lilly and Company (Tippecanoe Laboratories) pharmaceuticals.

★ The Lafayette Life Insurance Company, insurance and annuity services

★ Tate & Lyle, manufacturer of Splenda(R) and other sweeteners

★ TRW Commercial Steering Systems

★ Landis+Gyr, manufacturer of electric meters for global ANSI markets

Notable residents and natives

''For notable residents associated with Purdue University see List of Purdue University people''

Entertainment

★ Richard Barbee - Vaudevillian stage actor, silent film comedic actor [7]

★ John Purdue - Purdue Block, Tippecanoe County founder, founding benefactor of Purdue University [8],[9],[10]

★ Karen Black - Actress

★ Jeremy Camp - Christian recording artist

★ Embeth Davidtz - Actress

★ Mitch Henck - Radio talk show host

★ Louise Fazenda - Silent film comic actress, character actress in the "talkies"

★ Kevin Galbraith - Professional Dancer on MTV's "The Grind" and "Prince" (also former guitarist of "Rattail Grenadier")

★ Mass Giorgini - Record producer (Alkaline Trio, Anti-Flag, Rise Against) and bassist of Screeching Weasel, bassist and vocalist of Squirtgun, and bassist and saxophonist of Common Rider

★ Jason Groth - Guitarist for Magnolia Electric Company

★ Shannon Hoon - Ex-singer of Blind Melon

★ Michael Kelsey - Solo guitarist

★ John Korty - Director, screenwriter, best known for ''Oliver's story''

★ Tammy Lynn Michaels - Actress

★ Zachariah Nagy - Musician, producer, guitar tech for Joan Jett

★ Sydney Pollack - Actor, director, and producer

★ Victor Potel - Silent film actor, worked for Mack Sennett and was "Slippery Slim" in the "Snakeville" series [11]

★ Axl Rose - Guns N' Roses co-founder and vocalist

★ Churchill Ross (Ross Weigle) - actor, mostly small parts from 1924-1936

★ Peter Sattler - graphic designer for the feature film Walk the Line[12]

★ Julia Scheeres - Author, best known for ALA Alex Award winning memoir Jesus Land

★ Izzy Stradlin - Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist

★ Adam Vanderwielen - Actor [13]

Sports

★ Ray Ewry - Ten-time Olympic champion

★ Chuckie Nwokorie - NFL defensive player and Lafayette Jefferson High School graduate

★ William Afflis - Pro Wrestler, Dick the Bruiser. Attended Lafayette Jefferson High School

Business, law, politics

★ Roger D. Branigin - Indiana Govenor 1965-1969

★ Steve Carter - Indiana Attorney General

★ Brian Lamb - Host of "Booknotes" TV series, 1989. C-SPAN founder

★ Alvah C. Roebuck - founded Sears, Roebuck and Company

★ Bob Rohrman - Car dealer and local celebrity

★ Clara Shortridge Foltz (1849-1934) - first woman lawyer on the Pacific coast.

Academic, science, technology

★ Daniel X Freedman - pioneer in biological psychiatry, discovered link of hallucinogens to brain transmitters.

★ Donald E. Williams - astronaut

Local civic organizations

★ The Bach Chorale Singers

★ Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette

★ Downtown Business Center

★ Historic Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood Association

★ Lafayette Citizens Band

★ Lafayette Music League

★ Lafayette Symphony Orchestra

★ Opera de Lafayette

★ Round the Fountain Art Fair

★ Tippecanoe County Historical Association

★ Friends of BOB live Music Co-op

Points of interest

★ Purdue University, located in West Lafayette

★ Jerry E. Clegg Botanic Garden

★ Horticulture Gardens at Purdue University

★ Lafayette Farmer's Market in historic downtown (May through October)

★ Ninth Street Hill Historic District

★ Tippecanoe Battlefield (in Battle Ground, IN)

★ Farmer's Institute (Friends Meeting House)

★ Wolf Park (Battle Ground, IN)

★ Prophetstown State Park (Battle Ground, IN)

★ Columbian Park and Zoo

Community Events

★ The Feast of the Hunters' Moon (Mid to Late September or Early October)

★ A Taste of Tippecanoe (Mid June)

★ Colt World Series (August)

★ Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering (in Battle Ground in June)

★ First Edition's Haunted Feargrounds (October)

★ Lafayette Citizens Band concerts (Thursdays in the summer)

See also

★ Neighborhoods of Lafayette

References

External links

★ Official website

★ Lafayette Online

★

★ Lafayette Journal and Courier (Local newspaper, owned by Gannett)

★ Lafayette classifieds